Why you should never keep underwear for more than a year

Wearing underwear that is more than one year old could threaten your genital health, a new study reveals.

According to The Good Housekeeping Institute, old underwear creates optimal conditions for E.coli bacteria to grow, which, in turn, could lead to urinary tract and yeast infections for its owner.

If that didn’t make your skin crawl, the same study claims that 83 per cent of clean underwear already contains roughly 10,000 living bacteria, which is picked up in washing machines that have forgone thorough cleans over time.

Bacterial build-up gives us all the more reason to ditch our underwear while we sleep. In an interview with the Sydney Morning Herald, gynecologist Dr. Jennifer Bradford said we all need “more air down there.”

“We have anecdotal evidence that wearing occlusive garments increases the chances of vaginal problems such as thrush,” she said.

For those who prefer to keep their panties put, hand-washing your undergarments is encouraged — and remember to refresh your intimates every year.